Courthouse
within the Donaldsonville Historic District Courtesy of the Louisiana
Division of Historic PreservationSeveral
buildings within the Donaldsonville Historic District, including
the Lemann Store and several housesCourtesy of the Louisiana
Division of Historic Preservation

The Donaldsonville Historic District
is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River and encompasses an
area of about 50 blocks. The buildings, about 640 of them, date mainly
from the period of 1865-1933 and include residences, commercial, and public
buildings, five churches, and three cemeteries, of the Roman Catholic,
Protestant, and Jewish faiths. The Donaldsonville Historic District is
architecturally significant because it contains the finest collection
of buildings from the pre-Civil War era to 1933 to be found in any of
the Mississippi River parishes above New Orleans. Comparable to other
Mississippi River towns in Louisiana, Donaldsonville contains a number
of Queen Anne Revival residences and a number of Italiante commercial
buildings. Donaldsonville is unique in that it retains a sizable complement
of working class areas complete with housing including shotgun houses,
cottages and bungalows, as well as neighborhood stores. Donaldsonville
also possesses several neo-classical buildings and two fine Romanesque
Revival office buildings. A Romanesque Revival Courthouse, the site of
which was part of the 1807 plan for Donaldsonville, is located on Houmas
Street. Moreover, the Lemann Store, located at 314 Mississippi Street,
is probably the finest Italiante commercial building in any Mississippi
River town north of New Orleans. With its cast-iron gallery, its three-story
sprawling mass, and its rich ornamentation, the Lemnan Store, built in
1878, stands as a monument to architect James Freret, the first New Orleans
architect to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

The development of Donaldsonville began in 1806 when William Donaldson
hired Bartholemew Lafon to prepare a street plan. It included a number
of grand public spaces: a semicircular park and drive along the Mississippi
River (Crescent Park and Drive) and Louisiana Square, all of which are
still extant. After the majority of the town was destroyed during the
Civil War, the town's recovery came in the form of the New Orleans,
Mobile and Chattanooga Railroad, which began regular service between
Donaldsonville and New Orleans in 1871. Donaldsonville is one of only
three Mississippi River towns in the state north of New Orleans, which
go beyond the normal speculative grid plan. Donaldsonville's plan incorporates
baroque features such as a semicircular park and an axial street leading
to an open public square.

The Donaldsonville Historic District is bounded roughly by the
waterway of Bayou LaFourche on the west, the Mississippi River levee
to the northeast, Church St. on the east and by Marchand Dr. on the
south, in Donaldsonville. From I-10, take exit 182 to the Sunshine Bridge
and take Hwy. 3120 north to Donaldsonville. Residences are private and
not open to the public, but many of the businesses, institutions, and
government buildings welcome visitors. Visit the Donaldsonville Tourist
Information Center at 714 Railroad Ave., open 8:30am to 5pm daily or
call 225-473-4814 for further information.